This report describes the development of a needs assessment instrument designed to identify competencies necessary for vocational educators to successfully teach and work with disadvantaged students. The first part of the report summarizes a review of literature. Eleven studies are presented and referenced for further study. The second part of the…

The research leading to the decisions to revise the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (GRE) (beginning in October 1981) is reviewed. The issues discussed include the format of the test (the timing of each section and the number of sections, the content of the sections--especially the analytical section), the scoring procedure for the GRE,…

One of the most widely used instruments for assessing concerns has been the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) developed by the Concerns Based Adoption Model Project. In this research, different aspects of the validity of a modified version of the SoCQ produced for use with preservice teachers (PSSoCQ) are examined. In all, 10 different…

The Science Curriculum and Assessment Project is a multi-state network of school districts and other educational agencies that actively promotes science improvement through the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This document describes the major areas of project work, specifications and review procedures for test items in the…

Since 1969 when it was mandated by Congress, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has gathered information about the performance of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students in many subject areas, but most frequently in reading. Designed to reflect current developments in reading theory and research, this booklet describes the objectives…

In its three parts, this presentation: (1) describes five aspects of James Coleman's concept of "social capital"; (2) describes how the concept of social capital was used to develop a questionnaire for assessing teachers' investment of emotional self (personality, warmth, enthusiasm, etc.) in caregiving; and (3) provides related…

A study examined oral and silent reading rates at various levels of difficulty to establish criterion rates for fluent reading at the fourth grade level. Subjects, 27 male and 45 female students from 6 classes in 3 public schools in central Oklahoma who read at an average of more than one year above grade placement, had their oral and silent…

The instrument designed by Patricia Kearney to measure communication style was chosen for a study of validity and reliability for three reasons: (1) the format of the instrument appeared to be more descriptive than evaluative, (2) its theoretical foundations encouraged the viewpoint that there is no one best communication style, and (3) it was…

As a response to the artificiality of the traditional reading comprehension test, this booklet provides alternative means of testing that are within the guidelines of the British National Criteria. Ideas for testing informative, persuasive, autobiographical, and literary materials are presented in the booklet--carefully chosen to provide material…

Difficulty and discrimination ability were compared between multiple choice and short answer items in midterm and final examinations for the internal medicine course at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. The examinations were administered to 67 sophomore dental students in that course. Additionally, the impact of the source of the…

The Alaska Statewide Assessment Test is administered to fourth and eighth graders every two years in reading and mathematics. Assessment Report 7 describes how the assessment process works, analyzing results, test content, results for 1983, and statewide average scores. A question-answer format is used to discuss the following: (1) Was students'…

The work in second language education of the Assessment of Performance Unit, established by the Department of Education and Science of England and Wales to monitor certain areas of the public education curriculum is described. The focus is on the development of a rationale for testing, the elicitation procedures used in the assessment of speaking…

A discussion of foreign language education, evaluation, and communication in the context of the Finnish comprehensive school focuses on communication as a "graded" property that can be achieved at various levels of accuracy. Problems in designing summative tests for mixed-ability groups and shortcomings in the existing system are…

The reading objectives and measurement specifications in this paper are provided for teachers and other educators responsible for pupil instruction and for test development specialists involved with the preparation of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills. Following lists of objectives and general specifications, the paper outlines a…

An attempt to improve high school teachers' integration of testing and instructional practice through inservice training failed to produce substantial results. In each of five districts participating, one high school used the intervention and one served as a control. Three science teachers were trained in each school, one as a lead teacher. Data…